Restoration in Love

DEVOTION

THE LETTER TO THE GALATIANS

RESTORATION IN LOVE

Gal 6:1-5

6:1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted. 2 Carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to somebody else, 5 for each one should carry his own load.

NIV

Here is a whole lot of instructions wrapped up in one quick breath. We might have to camp out here for a while. This idea of catching someone in sin is a sort of sticky thing. We wonder just what kind of sin we would be catching someone doing. That might imply they would be sinning right out in the open. About the only sins that we might see openly would be gossip, judging, hatred or unforgiving. Maybe some form of malice or bitterness. Attitudes unbecoming a follower of Jesus could be seen as a sin. But is that what Paul is talking about? What about someone who is being deceived and trying to live by the law or a form of law. We cannot be sure just what sin we would catch someone doing, but the point is that if we hear someone gossip, let’s say, we should go to them, again in private, and inform them they are in sin and try to restore them gently. We cannot come across all righteous and holy with condemnation. Yet how many of us actually go to someone who is doing something wrong, let's say, gossiping? It is so tempting to get caught up in gossip and that is why we are warned to be careful. We could go through all those public type sins and apply the same principle. As much as we like to be rule followers, it seems we ignore this rule of correcting someone who is sinning so they might be restored. That implies they sinning breaks their relationship with God, and in need of restoration. What are some practical ways in which we could be obedient to God in restoring someone caught in a sin, such as gossip or being judgmental? Well, actually when we gossip we are also being judgmental as well as thinking more highly of ourselves then we should. So there is a whole lot to deal with in restoring that person then just telling them to stop it. That might fit into this idea of carrying each other’s burdens and thus fulfilling the law of Christ. Yet that might be a whole different concept as well. So let us deal with that later and just remember we have a Godly, spiritual responsibility to restore whoever is involved in some kind of sin we clearly can see. Again, it is not about being the high and mighty corrector of wrongs, it is about restoration in love.

Then we have to consider the opposite, that we are the ones caught in sin.